Wednesday 12/20/11. Last night after we set the anchor Linda said she thought she could smell oil again. I checked and there was a little on the Oil-Dry pad I keep under the engines. Apparently we had two leaks and only fixed one. This one appears to be oil from the drive unit. I made a call to Captain Bob James and Dennis Sparks, at Dare Marina, (the mechanic in Yorktown, VA) for a consultation and we decided it ain’t gonna get better. Bob works with Towboat US in this area during January. He got me in touch with the local Towboat US owner for recommendations on local marinas.
A few more phone calls and we were headed to Inlet Harbor Marina in Ponce Inlet, FL to meet Craig, a local mechanic. It was determined we will need a haul out. Inlet Harbor doesn’t have a lift big enough (sounds familiar) so arrangements were made to be hauled out the next day at the neighboring marina, Sea Love Boat Works.
Cruising through the Daytona Beach area brought back a lot of memories for both of us. I lived here in 1956 when I was in the third grade. And then we moved here in 1972 when I attended Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
While surfing the net a few years back and searching for pictures of Daytona Beach, I found a picture of the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church. I remember going there as a kid in my Dad’s light blue ‘55 Ford Fairlane. Then it hit me….I’m the kid in the back seat!! I have no idea who took the picture 55 years ago; but it ended up on the web. 
In the meantime there is laundry to be done. Inlet Harbor has a no charge washer and dryer available. After the clothes were in the laundry Linda said “This is the first day of winter”. “Bet they aren’t doing laundry outside at home”.
Thursday 12/21/11. After lunch at Down the Hatch Seafood Company, Sea Love Boat Works hauled TwoGether out and Craig confirmed there was a leaking oil seal on the drive shaft in the upper gear housing. It was decided to do both drives since there was a spot of oil under the other engine. The crew there was great. Linda (of Sea Love) took us under her wing and called different hotels to find us a room. The local police and fire department enforce an ordinance that you can’t stay on a boat that is “on the hard”. She even gave us a ride to the hotel after work.
While we were sitting under the pavilion we were in fear of our lives when we saw a dinosaur! This has to be the smallest chameleon (Green Anole) we have ever seen. At most, it was an inch and a half long. Years ago when we lived in Ft. Myers, FL, Charlie the Chameleon lived in our house. He made himself at home and would startle guests when he would climb a curtain. Linda even set out water in a bottle cap for him. They make interesting pets and eat bugs.
We moved into the Days Inn in Daytona Beach Shores. Walking on the beach was a welcome respite from the daily riggers of cruising.
Friday 12/23/11. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. Soon the shorebirds became active.
We went for a long walk on the beach and watched two guys on jet-skies jumping the breakers. It was cool because those guys could really “catch air”. It’s nice that they have designated a public jet-ski area. They were far enough from the shore the pictures were fuzzy. 
Then we met a young couple from northwest Georgia on the beach. She was making a miniature snowman out of sand.
Lunch was at the Cracked Egg Diner. Only open for breakfast and lunch, and owned by two young brothers, it has been voted “Best Diner in Central Eastern Florida”. The food was great, the prices reasonable and the portions BIG.
Linda is loving this. No Cooking...No Cleaning…No Navigating.
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